I was very picky when I got my Sisterlocks installed, so I never really like sleeping on them while they were wet. I do have friends and guests who have experience the "moldy" smelling locks, and the usual reason was either they did not let their locks completely dry after washing them or they have't completely washed out the products that were used on their locks prior.


So below are helpful tips on how to avoid the moldy smelling scent on your Sisterlocks or Dreadlocks.

Washing
Washing your locks and doing a good job is extremely important! The longer your locks get, the more likely you will be neglectful or even lazy. Some people can get away with washing their locks once a month, but I never could understand that concept and would never try it. The individual lock itself may be clean, but the scalp itself is an entirely different matter. I will always recommend that if you have longer locks, and you don't want to shampoo the whole length, at least shampoo your scalp as needed. A "scalp scratch" will always reveal if you need a wash or not.

Helpful Tip: When using shampooing or conditioner, makes sure you squeeze and wringing (lightly) out your locks underneath the water thoroughly. Always look at the bottom of the tub and see if all of the suds are completely gone. I always recommend lock wearers to wash with shampoos that have SLS or something similar. The suds from those product works as an indicator by letting you know when you have completely rinse out the stuff out of your hair, and they are also great at dissolving any type of hair product such as wax, oils, etc.

Drying
Make sure if you air dry, you don't confine your locks. Let your locks hang free! It is also helpful that you air dry them during the day and not when you are laying or siting around the house. At some point, your locks will get longer, and air-drying will not work. If it comes to a point where you hair is not drying by the evening hour, then you should start to blow drying your locks until they are dry.

Helpful Tip: When I'm drying my locks under my bonnet dryer, I tend to push the back of my locks to the top and start drying my hair like that for about 10min-15min. Once I'm satisfied that the back and middle is dry, I then let my Sisterlocks down, and proceed to dry the front. This process is needed due to my length. When my locks were shorter, I didn't need to do that extra step.

Confining
Braid-out or any style that is confining while the locks are wet is usually prone to the possibility of having moldy smelly locks. If you the type to just spray your locks lightly to apply braids/plaits (for braids-out) or to add curlers, you are usually fine when your locks are shorter. When your locks are a little longer on the other hand, you will need to blow dry them prior to going to bed, unless you letting them air dry in the sun.

Helpful Tip: If you decided to do a braid-out or add curlers after you have washed your hair, dry them with a blow dryer (preferably a bonnet hair dryer). When your hair is soaking wet, it always takes a lot longer to dry, and if you don't dry them completely, mold can develop after a long period of dampness.

Products
Sisterlocks or any interlock method does not require any wax to maintain. Even though that is the case for interlocking locks, we do tend to use oils to moisturize, and I recommend you to be careful with the type of oils your chose to moisturize your locks. Castor Oil is not a good candidate for lock wear as far as moisturizer is concern (great for scalp application as far as hair growth is concern or diluted for a hot oil treatment).

Help Tips: Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil or any lighter oil are always the best option when trying to add moisture to your locks. Essential Oils are light and are usually used in small quantity that they do not impact the locks at all.  If you happen to uses wax or any type of oils on your locks, it is extremely important to clarify once a month. You can either use a SLS product or you can do ACV or BSW.

Hope this post was helpful, as always comments are welcome.